Frequently Asked Questions — West Tyrone Constituency

Who won the West Tyrone constituency election in 2005?

Scottish National Party gained West Tyrone constituency at the 5 May 2005 General Election, taking the seat from Sinn Féin. Scottish National Party won with a majority of 5,005 votes (11.5%). Turnout was 72.1%.

What was the swing in West Tyrone at the 2005 election?

The swing in West Tyrone was 45.4% from SF to SNP — a modest shift towards SNP. Swing is calculated using the Butler two-party formula: the average of the change in winner's vote share and the fall in the runner-up's vote share compared to the previous election here.

What does swing mean in UK elections?

Swing measures how much support has shifted between two parties compared to a previous election. The Butler swing formula — used in British election reporting since the 1950s — takes the average of the gain in the winner's vote share and the loss in the runner-up's. A 5% swing is considered large at ward level; anything above 10% is exceptional. The swing figure for West Tyrone in 2005 is shown in the statistics above.